Have Faith in Me
by Pandah Rhia
Summary: Three years have passed since Merihk disappeared. Life was peaceful for Ashton for a time, but facing pressure to marry from her advisors and threats from an unknown source, how long will her sanity last? OCXKurama; Sequel to 'Of Roses and Flames'
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to the first chapter of 'Have Faith in Me,' the sequel to my story 'Of Roses and Flames.' If you haven't read it, then I suggest that you go and do that, and then return here to read this chapter. Everything will just make more sense that way, I promise!**

**As usual, Yu Yu Hakusho rightfully belongs to the wonderful Yoshihiro Togashi, who, sadly, I am not. All I own are the ideas in my head and my OCs.**

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**Three and a half years had passed since Ashton had woken up in the Spirit World infirmary. In the three weeks she was held in the infirmary, she'd been told about what had happened at the castle and about whom she really was. Shortly after that, she'd returned to Winterhaven to rule what had rightfully been left to her by King Adrian, her true father. Much to the surprise of Koenma and the Reikai Tantei, she'd been welcomed with open arms by the people.

It had been over a year since she last saw any of her friends, with the exception of Kurama. He did his best to make the long trip to see her whenever he could, bringing with him news of what was going on in the Human World with the others. During his last visit, he'd brought several pictures of everyone to show her. Each time he left, she found herself missing her friends more and more than she had before seeing him.

To say that she was unhappy with how her life was at the moment wouldn't have been totally correct. She loved living in Snowcrystal Castle. She loved the town of Winterhaven and all of its people. But she missed living in the Human World at Genkai's temple. She missed her friends and goofing off with them.

Most of all, though, she missed Kurama, even when he did come to see her.

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Night had fallen over the lands. The snow had temporarily stopped falling, and stars shone brightly in the sky. Ashton was standing out on the castle's west tower's balcony, the one that she'd jumped from years ago. She was leaning against the railing, looking up at the stars. A soft sigh escaped from her lips. She'd been up since before sunrise, and she'd been terribly busy all day. She was exhausted, but she wouldn't let herself go to sleep just yet.

She'd had a lot on her mind in the past few weeks. Her advisors had lately been trying to pressure her into marrying, saying that the alliance with another kingdom would strengthen her own. Suitors had lined up for a chance to have her hand in marriage, but she'd found each one more repulsive than the last. She'd told her advisors that she had no interest in settling down in the near future; they had chosen to ignore her words. They'd even gone so far as to start planning a ball in hopes that she'd meet the right prince. She'd stubbornly insisted that if she had no choice but to attend, her friends would make an appearance as well.

"I wish things would go my way just one time," she said as she walked back into the tower. She tightly closed the balcony doors and left the tower. The castle was silent as she made her way back down to her second floor bedroom. Once there, she got ready for bed and soon turned in for the rest of the night.

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To Ashton, the days seemed to crawl by. There in the castle, she had little contact with anyone that truly interested her, so she tended to keep to herself most of the time. Living her life that way had begun to depress her.

It had been two months since she'd last seen Kurama. She was hoping, praying, that he would be able to come back to see her soon, but she'd come to learn to not expect that he would. When she'd last seen him, he'd mentioned that his mother was very sick and that he would be taking care of her until she was better. He normally visited her every three weeks, but she hadn't seen him since then.

"M'lady, you need to eat," she heard one of the servants, Kiyo, say to her. Ashton jumped slightly; she'd been lost in her thoughts. She blinked a couple of times and looked up at the girl. She shook her head and sighed.

"I'm just not hungry right now," she replied with a shrug. Frowning, Kiyo picked up the plate of untouched food and handed it to another servant, who took it away. She sat down in the chair next to Ashton's and gently grasped her hands.

"Please cheer up, Lady Ashton," she pleaded. "He wouldn't want to see you hurting like this." It took Ashton a moment to realize who Kiyo was talking about. She sighed a second time.

"I know, Kiyo, I know," she quietly replied. "But I miss him –all of them, really– so much. I should have never let myself get so attached to anyone in the Human World. I should have realized that we wouldn't always be together." She pulled her hands back and reached up to wipe the tears that had welled up in her eyes. She looked out of one of the dining room's windows, and her eyes widened as she spotted a familiar head of red hair in the distance.

"Oh!" she exclaimed as she rose from her chair. A smile lit up her face as she ran into the foyer and through the castle's doors. The pain in her heart seemed to ebb away as each step brought her closer to Kurama.

For the first time in a long time, she felt truly happy when Kurama's strong arms wrapped around her, bringing her into a hug she'd desperately needed. He spun her around a couple of times, and their laughter rang loud in the air. Ashton could feel eyes watching them from the castle, but she couldn't bring herself to care. All too soon, Kurama put her back on the ground, but Ashton didn't let him go.

"I'm so happy that you came to see me, Kurama," she said quietly, looking up at him. The fox smiled, but it faded away when he saw that her eyes were red and slightly puffy. He brought one hand up and gently ran his thumb over her cheek.

"You've been crying," he bluntly stated, almost looking surprised as he spoke. "What's wrong, Ash? Who's made you cry?" The silver-haired girl simply smiled and shook her head.

"It doesn't matter, Kurama," she happily told him. "I'm fine. Really, I am." The fox raised an eyebrow. Choosing not to say anything yet, he took hold of Ashton's hand and led her back into the castle. They went up the spiral staircase to Ashton's room. She sat down on the edge of her bed, and Kurama pulled a chair up in front of her, sitting backwards in it so that he could rest his chin on the chair's back.

"You can't lie to me, Ash," he said, studying her face. "Now tell me what's really wrong." A sigh escaping her lips, Ashton looked away from him. After a long minute, she began to tell him of the pressure the committee was putting on her and about the upcoming ball. She didn't tell him that she'd really been crying because she missed him so much. She didn't want to make him feel bad. Kurama stayed silent through her explanation, and even after she was done, he didn't immediately speak.

"Don't let all of this get to you, Ash," he finally told her. "I won't let them put you in any situation that you don't want to be in." She gave him a skeptical look. Kurama simply chuckled and smiled.

"I'll keep you safe, I promise," he told her. "Have faith in me, Ashton."

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It was decided, mostly by Kurama, that Ashton would return to the Human World with him as a sort of mini-vacation. She would be staying for a week, leaving shortly after Tefy's seventh birthday party the next weekend. She was looking forward to the trip; it would be nice to get away from Winterhaven for a few days to see her friends again.

Kurama was sitting in a chair watching Ashton as she packed for the upcoming trip. As she busied herself with that task, she was giving orders for the week to Kiyo, who was writing them down as quickly as Ashton was saying them. Kurama chuckled softly as he listened, and Ashton paused and looked over at him.

"Take a breath, Ashton," he told her. He smiled. "You're going to start turning blue in the face if you don't." Ashton blushed and fell silent. She finished packing in that manner, embarrassed that she'd been talking so much. It was a nervous habit she'd developed over the years. She wouldn't admit it to Kurama, but she was afraid to leave the castle for so long. She feared that something bad would happen in her absence. As if sensing the fear, Kiyo comfortingly placed a hand on Ashton's shoulder.

"I'll keep everything under control while you're away, m'lady," she assured Ashton. Thanking her, Ashton zipped her bag up and then looked over at Kurama. She smiled cheerfully.

"I'm ready to leave whenever you are, Kurama," she said to him.

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**And that's that! Thank you for reading, and please make sure to review! Reading reviews makes me feel very, very loved, and they motivate me to continue on.**

**Much love,**

**Pandah**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two is here! Thank you to anyone who has read up to this point. It means a lot to me!  
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**As usual, Yu Yu Hakusho rightfully belongs to the wonderful Yoshihiro Togashi, who, sadly, I am not. All I own are the ideas in my head and my OCs.**

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**"Ashton!" The shout rang through Genkai's temple several times. She and Kurama had just arrived at the temple, and she'd immediately been pulled into several group hugs. Laughter filled the air, and the distinct salty smell of tears could be picked up by the demons' sensitive noses. Ashton was crying.

"I've missed you guys so much," the demoness-turned-princess quietly said. She sniffled a little, and despite her tears, she managed to smile. "It's so amazing to get to see all of you again. We've really got to plan more get-togethers." Botan handed her a tissue, and Ashton lightly dabbed the corners of her eyes

"You've changed so much since we last saw you, Ashton!" Madarao commented. Ashton laughed a little and looked down at herself. She returned her gaze to Madarao after a moment.

"Have I really?" she asked. "I'd say that all of you are the ones who have really changed! I hardly recognize any of you now, especially little Tefy!" She knelt down and hugged the girl tightly.

"I'm a big girl now, Auntie Ash!" she giggled, hugging Ashton. Ashton picked her up and playfully groaned.

"That you most certainly are," she replied, kissing Tefy's cheek. "I almost can't pick you up anymore, Tef!" The two laughed, and Ashton put the girl back on her feet. The neko tugged on the older girl's hand.

"Come outside and play with me, Auntie!" she pleaded. Smiling, Ashton gently gripped the child's hand, and the two headed outdoors.

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"I wish I was good with kids like Ashton is," Keiko commented. It was late in the afternoon, and she, Madarao, Yukina, Botan, and Kurama were sitting outside watching Ashton and Tefy play. The two had been at it since that morning, only returning inside a couple of times since then.

"From what I've heard from the servants at Snowcrystal Castle, she spends a lot of time with Winterhaven's children," Kurama told the four girls. They all looked at him in interest, and he continued. "They've told me that she goes through times when she gets depressed –I guess from being so alone in that castle. On those days, she'll either invite all of the children to the castle and show them what it's like to live there, or she'll play with them in the town until it's time for them to all sleep. They say it really helps her feel better."

"Oh, bless her heart!" Botan looked from Kurama to Ashton as she spoke. The smile that had graced her visage now disappeared. "That poor thing… I do wish there was some way we could be there with her." Keiko, Yukina, and Madarao nodded their agreement.

"That's why you go visit her so often, isn't it, Kurama?" Madarao asked, looking over at the redhead. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes and nodded.

"That's one of my reasons, yes," he replied. "I fear that she'd be much worse off if she didn't have some sort of contact with us, and I'm the only one that usually has the free time to go see her."

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Ashton's week at Genkai's temple was nearly over with. The kitsune had spent nearly every waking minute busy with her friends or playing with Tefy. She was currently upstairs tucking the child into bed and reading her a story. Everyone else was sitting quietly down in Genkai's living room.

"Ashton has agreed to let me return to the castle with her," Yukina said in an attempt to make conversation. All eyes turned to her.

"You're going to the Demon World with Ashton?" Kuwabara sadly asked. She nodded her reply.

"She needs me there with her, Kazuma," the ice maiden said. "I can't stay there forever, but I want to help Ashton feel better."

"And you're sure that this is what you want to do?" Kurama asked. He wasn't sure that it would be a good idea for Yukina to go to the Demon World to live for any amount of time. Yukina nodded a second time.

"She also said she'll help me look for my brother," she added. Everyone in the room, with the exception of Kuwabara and Yukina, froze for a slight moment. Ashton had been told that Hiei was Yukina's brother and that she couldn't tell the girl, but the last thing any of them wanted was for Yukina to one day return to the Human World upset that she hadn't been successful.

"WellI think that's a splendid idea!" Botan exclaimed, smiling at the koorime. "I do hope you find your brother quickly!"

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The next Saturday morning found Yukina and Ashton packing their bags for their return to the Demon World. Tefy's party the day before had been one of mixed emotions for them all. No one was really looking forward to the departure of Yukina and Ashton.

"Do you have to leave again, Auntie Ashton?" Tefy's eyes were filled with tears as she asked the question. Ashton nodded slowly and knelt down in front of the child. She wiped the tears away and gently hugged Tefy.

"I'm afraid that I do, Tef," she quietly replied. "But don't fret, okay? In a couple of weeks, all of you are going to be coming to my castle for a great big dance. I'll dress you up, and you'll be the prettiest princess in the whole wide universe." She smiled and kissed Tefy's cheek, and the child giggled.

"Nuh-uh, Auntie!" the seven-year-old said. "No one can be a prettier princess than you are! Just ask Uncle Kurama! He thinks you're the prettiest person in the whole wide world." Ashton's cheeks colored lightly as she rose to finish her packing. She didn't speak for a few long minutes.

"I don't know about that," she said slowly. "Your uncle Kurama knows a lot of pretty girls, I bet." She finished her packing and zipped her bag up, and then she turned to look at Tefy. She smiled.

"Let's go see what everyone else is up to," she suggested.

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The time came that afternoon for Ashton and Yukina to leave the temple. More tears were shed, and the two girls were pulled into many group hugs. Botan was preparing to take Kurama and the two girls back to the Demon World so that they could begin their journey back to Winterhaven. Kurama would be staying at the castle with the two until after the ball was over with.

After Ashton had said her final goodbyes, Hiei pulled her off to the side.

"Take care of my sister," he told her, glaring up at the kitsune. Ashton nodded slightly, and Hiei continued. "And don't you dare tell her who her brother is. I_ will _kill you if you do." Ashton nodded again, and Hiei left. The kitsune returned to the group, and she, Yukina, and Kurama left soon after.

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Botan had sent them to the Demon World as close to Winterhaven as she could. They journeyed for nearly a day, though, before Snowcrystal Castle came into sight. It was another hour before they reached the ancient structure.

"Welcome to Snowcrystal Castle, Yukina," Ashton cheerfully said as she led Kurama and Yukina inside. A group of servants took their bags and hurried away after receiving instructions on which rooms to prepare for the guests. Silently rejoicing at the fact that the trip was over and they'd safely made it to the castle, Ashton began to give Yukina a tour of the castle.

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**And that's that! Thank you for reading, and please make sure to review! Reading reviews makes me feel very, very loved, and they motivate me to continue on.**

**Much love,**

**Pandah**


	3. Chapter 3

**I like to think that this chapter holds a bit of a surprise, but I doubt that anyone will really see it that way. XD But whatever, I guess. I'm super happy with how this chapter turned out! **

**As usual, Yu Yu Hakusho rightfully belongs to the wonderful Yoshihiro Togashi, who, sadly, I am not. All I own are the ideas in my head and my OCs.**

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**Two weeks passed by quicker than Ashton was comfortable with. With the next evening's ball and the knowledge that Kurama would be leaving soon after it, among other things, she was beginning to feel stressed and depressed once more. She'd been locked in her room the whole day, spending most of the time in bed. She hadn't ventured out into the hallway once, not even to eat, and she'd sent away everyone who came to check on her.

She had just begun to doze off once more when she heard the faint squeak of the hinges as the room's door opened. A soft yawn escaping her lips, the kitsune opened her eyes and sat up in bed to see Kurama.

"I was worried about you," he told her, pulling a chair up beside her bed. When Ashton didn't speak, the redhead continued. "You're letting yourself hurt over something, and you're pushing everyone away. Please talk to me, Ashton. I want to help you." The princess tightly gripped the bed's covers in her hands and closed her eyes.

"You can't help me, Kurama," she told him. She opened her eyes again and looked at him. "I've been told that my advisors have decided that I must make a decision by tomorrow night. There's nothing any of us can do anymore."

"So now what?" Kurama asked, his voice rising slightly. He sounded upset. "You're just going to give up on everything? You're going to let that flame inside of you die out?" Ashton looked away. Kurama gently turned her head so she was facing him again.

"I don't want that to happen to you, Ash," he whispered. "Please, don't worry about any of this. I'll figure something out before tomorrow night. I promised that I would keep you safe, and I intend to keep that promise. Just have faith in me."

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Two hours before the ball was scheduled to begin, Ashton could be found studying her reflection in front of a full length mirror. Her regal gown was made of sky-blue silk. Its swirling skirt and wide, trailing sleeves were adorned with diamonds. Her hair was curled and hung down her back. A silver-chained necklace was around her neck. The tear-shaped pendant, made of light blue topaz surrounded by smaller white sapphires, rested in the hollow of her throat. A pair of matching earrings dangled from her earlobes.

"Auntie, you look gorgeous!" Tefy exclaimed as she walked into the room. She had just arrived with her mother and the Reikai Tantei. She ran forward and hugged Ashton tightly.

"Thank you, dear," she said happily. She laughed and kissed Tefy's cheek. Keeping good with the promise she'd made two weeks before, she set about dressing Tefy up for the night's dance. When she was finished, Tefy was wearing an elegant gown of white chiffon, trimmed with a silver braid. Her long black hair was pinned up, with small curls left down to frame her face. The look was completed by a necklace of alternating white and grey pearls.

"Consider all of this to be a part of your birthday present from me, Tef," Ashton said when she was finished dressing her niece up. She smiled and gently hugged Tefy. "You look adorable! Of all the young people here tonight, you're definitely going to be the belle of the ball!" Tefy giggled and ran off to find her mother to show her the outfit she was given. Happy that Tefy was satisfied, Ashton sat down on the edge of her bed. She could hear a clock chime from somewhere in the castle, and she listened to it closely. She had only fifteen minutes until the ball began, and she had not heard a word from Kurama as to what he was going to do to help her.

"I have faith in you, Kurama," she whispered as the clock chimed eight times. Taking a deep breath, she rose and hurried from the room. She could hear the chatter of her guests as she made her way down the hallway. Aaliyah, one of her servants, signaled to Kiyo as she made it to the top of the ballroom's stairs. Kiyo nodded slightly.

"Ladies and gentleman, Princess Ismene Ashton Kumari has arrived," the girl announced. All eyes turned to Ashton as she slowly descended the stairs, one hand resting lightly on the intricately carved banister. She could feel herself blushing, but she did her best to keep a straight face. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, applause filled the room.

She quickly found out from Kiyo that her dance card for the night was full. Soon after speaking with her, Ashton was swept into her first dance of the night. The demon with whom she was waltzing was a prince by the name of Hiroji. A Fae, he ruled over the kingdom of Valnesse. He was charming enough, but Ashton couldn't bring herself to like him. She was more than thankful to bid him goodnight when their dance ended.

Colors blurred around Ashton as dancer after dancer, prince after prince, spun her in circles around the ballroom floor. She found herself having more fun than she'd anticipated, even if none of the princes really piqued her interest. Her cheeks colored and her laughter filled the air as each one whispered sweet-nothings into her ears, hoping to woo the princess before their short time with her was over with.

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"We would like to announce that Princess Ismene has selected her future husband." Hearing the words of Advisor Shusui, the ballroom fell silent. The night had passed by quickly, but there was still one more dance, the one between Ashton and the man she'd chosen. Ashton made her way to the second stair step where Shusui was standing, and she took the microphone from him. She looked at the throng of people for a long minute before speaking.

"Ladies and gentleman," she began. Her voice was the only sound in the ballroom. "First off, I would like to thank each and every one of you for showing up tonight. This ball has turned out to be more of a success than I ever would have thought.

"My mother was younger than I now am when she married my father and gave birth to me. At first, she married him simply to strengthen this kingdom, but she quickly came to love my father, and the two were inseparable. When I was a little girl, she told my sister and me to not marry for the alliance of this country and another, but to marry because of love," she continued. She studied the crowd before speaking her next words.

"During my time in the Human World nearly four years ago, I met a man who I quickly found that I could not live without. Sweet, charming, and witty, I feel that he is the other half of me. He completes me, and I him. He accepts and loves me for who I am, not the kingdom which I rule. It is my decision and his that leads us to this choice." She stopped again and motioned for someone in the crowd to join her on the steps.

Kurama emerged to stand next to her, and he took her hand. He produced a ring from the inside pocket of his tuxedo. Set in 14 carat white gold with a princess-cut diamond sparkling on each side of it was an ice blue sapphire in the shape of a heart. He slipped it onto Ashton's slender ring finger on her left hand, and the two smiled lovingly at each other.

"Shuichi 'Kurama' Minamino and I are happy to now officially announce our engagement to all of you."

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**And that's that! Thank you for reading, and please make sure to review! Reading reviews makes me feel very, very loved, and they motivate me to continue on.**

**Before I say goodbye until next time, did anyone see that ending coming? I mean, like, honestly, did anyone predict that? If you did, then I congratulate you, because it literally just came to me fifteen minutes before I finished up this chapter.  
**

**Much love,**

**Pandah**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four has arrived!I actually finished this chapter last night a couple of hours after I uploaded chapter three, but I never got a chance to upload it. Sorry!**

**Before the chapter begins, I'd like to say one thing. Thank you to Springflowerangel**** for the review, and also, thank you to anyone who has read this far! You guys are amazing!  
**

**As usual, Yu Yu Hakusho rightfully belongs to the wonderful Yoshihiro Togashi, who, sadly, I am not. All I own are the ideas in my head and my OCs.**

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**To say that the crowd was shocked by the announcement was a bit of an understatement. For what seemed like ages, no one spoke. Advisor Shusui finally cleared his throat, and that broke the spell that had fallen over everyone. All at once, their voices filled the room, the roar enough to make Ashton flatten her ears against her head. The princess winced a little. It took Advisor Shusui several minutes to calm the throng.

"He's a human!" one prince angrily cried out. "She cannot marry him! There has to be some kind of law that forbids this!"

"We will not allow this kind of marriage!" another demon protested. He made as if to take a step towards Ashton, but a glare from Kurama stopped him. The redhead's eyes flashed gold; Youko was angered by everyone's words.

"There are no laws that forbid it," Kurama spoke, but it was not his voice that came from his mouth. It was Youko's, calm and level despite his anger towards the guests. Ashton gently placed a hand on his shoulder, and Kurama turned his head to look at her. His eyes returned to their normal shade of emerald as she spoke something that only he could hear. The spirit fox nodded after a moment.

"Yes, well… As he stated, there are no laws that forbid their marriage," Advisor Shusui told the crowd. It was easy to tell that he, too, was not happy with the princess' announcement, but he knew better than to say anything against the decision. He cleared his throat a second time. "So now, without further ado, we shall have the night's last dance." The sea of people parted to allow the newly engaged couple access to the ballroom dance floor. The two waltzed to the music that began to play, the world around them seeming to disappear as they gazed into each others eyes, their foreheads pressed together.

Long after the music had ended and the guests had departed, Kurama and Ashton could still be found in the ballroom, gently swaying to a song that only they could hear. They didn't seem to pay it any mind when their friends from the Human World entered the ballroom again; the two were still holding their own little conversation, oblivious to the rest of the happenings in the world.

"Auntie Ashton! Uncle Kurama!"

Tefy's sweet voice pulled them from their little world. The two stepped apart and turned to look at their friends. Everyone was watching them with expressions of mixed emotions.

"Mind explaining to us what the hell's going on?" Madarao asked them. They gave her confused looks, and an exasperated sigh escaped from the neko's lips.

"The engagement?" she prompted. "Since when were you two even dating, let alone planning to get married?"

"I guess you guys would know the answers to both of those questions if you bothered to come visit every once in a while," Ashton coolly replied, though there was a bit of a snippy undertone to her words. "But to entertain your questions, we've been together for about three years now. We've actually really been engaged since about five minutes before Advisor Shusui had me announce who I'd chosen."

Sensing that it would be unwise to ask anymore questions, their friends excused themselves. Ashton sighed quietly and wrapped her arms around her fiancé. She hid her face in the crook of his neck. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as Kurama's strong yet gentle arms embraced her.

"They think we're crazy," the princess quietly said. Kurama chuckled, and she peeked up at him. He was lovingly watching her.

"They just don't understand how special what we have really is," he corrected her. Ashton gave him a skeptical look. Kurama placed a small kiss on her forehead.

"Let's not worry about them right now, love," he told her. He gently rubbed her back, and a content smile graced her features once more. "All that matters now is that your advisors cannot make you marry someone that you don't love. We're together, and we always will be."

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For the remainder of their stay, Madarao avoided Ashton. She was miffed by her friend's words from the night of the ball. More than that, though, she didn't want to say anything that would give Ashton reason to hate her.

The lack of attention from the neko didn't affect Ashton, though. She spent most of her time with Kurama, planning their upcoming wedding. All they'd told their friends so far was that they were planning to wed in May. That gave them about six months to get everything in order for their wedding day.

The ball had been over for nearly a week, yet the news of Ashton's engagement to Kurama was still causing an uproar throughout the Demon World. Envelopes addressed to the two arrived at the castle each day, most of them containing meaningless threats of various sorts. They paid them little attention at first, but Ashton had noticed that one trace of demonic energy kept popping up on the new mail. The energy was familiar to her; familiar, but one that she hadn't seen in over three years.

She'd originally requested that the two not be bothered with the letters, but she told Kiyo that she'd changed her mind, asking that all mail be delivered to her before anyone else had a chance to open it and discard it all.

It was early in the afternoon when the day's mail arrived. As instructed, Kiyo took it straight to Ashton, who was in her room at the time. The princess found the letter with the energy trace, and she opened it, pulling a piece of thick parchment paper from the envelope. She began to read it, slipping so deep into concentration that she didn't hear the bedroom door opened. She jumped when Kurama's arms wrapped around her waist. The piece of paper fluttered to the ground.

"You scared me, Kurama!" she exclaimed. She laughed a little and playfully hit his arm. The redhead smiled sheepishly and kissed the tip of his fiancée's nose.

"Sorry, love," he apologized. "You were so into that letter that I couldn't resist the urge to scare you a little bit." He pulled away and retrieved the letter that Ashton had dropped. He returned it to her so that she could finish reading.

As she continued from where she'd left off, her eyes widened just slightly. A look of fear could briefly be seen in her grey orbs, but it disappeared just as quickly as it came. Once finished, she handed the letter to Kurama to read, and she sat down on the edge of her bed, staring wide-eyed at the floor.

"Oh my God," she whispered. Her eyes filled with tears; they quickly spilled over to fall down her face. It seemed as if each one knew its path so well, like it had been traveled so many times.

"Merihk's coming back for me, Kurama," the princess managed to say once the redhead had finished reading the letter.

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**And that's that! Thank you for reading, and please make sure to review! Reading reviews makes me feel very, very loved, and they motivate me to continue on.**

**Much love,**

**Pandah**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five is here! Thanks to everyone who has read so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter and what's to come!**

**As usual, Yu Yu Hakusho rightfully belongs to the wonderful Yoshihiro Togashi, who, sadly, I am not. All I own are the ideas in my head and my OCs.**

**

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**The letter from Merihk fluttered to the ground from Kurama's hands. It lay forgotten as the redhead sat down on the bed beside his fiancée. He pulled her into his lap, holding her tightly. He gently rubbed her back as she cried into his shirt. It pained him to see her so upset. It almost made him want to hide her away so that she could not be hurt by anyone ever again.

"He won't ever come close to even seeing you, love," Kurama assured her. "We'll all make sure of that. If we have to, we'll even ask our friends from the Dark Tournament to come and help us keep you safe. And if Merihk ever shows up here or any place near Winterhaven, I'll kill him to keep him away from you." Ashton seemed to be comforted by his words, for she soon calmed herself down. She looked up at Kurama, her cheeks tearstained and her eyes puffy.

"Y-You promise?" she asked. He nodded and kissed her cheek. He gently rubbed behind her ears, and Ashton made a soft purring sound.

"I'll do anything to keep you safe, Ash. Don't you ever forget that." A smile lit up Ashton's face.

"I love you, Kurama," she happily told them. She giggled softly and placed a quick kiss upon his light pink lips.

**| |¯`·.¸_¸.+´¯`¤.¸¸.·´¯`×**

Ashton and Kurama chose not to immediately tell their friends of the threat Merihk once more posed to them. They set aside their wedding plans for the time being, wanting to spend time with their friends, who would soon have to return to the Human World. Kurama, Ashton was thankful, would be remaining in the Demon World. He'd asked Yusuke to send word to his mother once the boy got back home telling Shiori that her son had gone away on a trip. He'd moved away from home a year before, but he didn't want her to have any reason to worry when he didn't call or visit her.

Ashton and Kurama were sitting together out in the castle's garden, watching Tefy play in the snow. Lining the stone wall that enclosed the garden were Camellia sasanqua trees. Purple hellebore flowers peeked through the snow. A type of winter honeysuckle, Lonicera fragrantissima, perfumed the air. Its vines crept up the large grape arbor that shaded the garden's sitting area.

"This was my mom's favorite place to spend time," Ashton quietly commented. She was leaning against Kurama, her head resting on his shoulder. He had an arm draped over her shoulders, holding her close to him. The redhead looked at his fiancée and smiled.

"I can see why it would be," he replied. "The garden is beautiful, though it pales in comparison to my wonderful fiancée." He kissed the top of Ashton's head. Her cheeks flushed slightly. A comfortable silence fell between the two, punctuated every so often by Tefy's laughter.

"Momma used to spend all of her time out here with my father," Ashton said after a while. "Great-grandmother planted the camellia trees when she was pregnant with grandmother, grandmother the hellebore when she was expectant with my mom, and Mother and Father planted the honeysuckle a few months before I was born." She smiled and closed her eyes. Kurama had to strain his ears to hear her next words.

"I hope to one day carry on the tradition." The fox chuckled lightly and smiled sweetly at Ashton.

"We won't let the tradition die, I promise," he assured her. Ashton opened her eyes and looked up at him, staring into his eyes, made happy by what he'd said. Their faces were close, their noses nearly touching. Without thinking about the action, Ashton moved up to close the distance so that their lips could touch. That kiss was hard, but soft; fiery, yet cool; a split second but also forever. In that one kiss, she knew what was behind that sweet smile her lover always carried, and it made her love for him grow even more.

The two were interrupted by when someone behind them cleared their throat. Their cheeks colored red as they turned to look behind them. Yusuke was standing there, arms crossed and looking impatient.

"About time you two came back to earth," he commented. "Koenma's here and has something important to tell us, but if you two would rather lock lips, then that's fine with us." Ashton blushed even more as the two stood. They went inside, leaving Tefy out in the garden. Kiyo hurried out to watch the girl.

"I'm afraid that I have some bad news," Koenma said as the three took seats around the large dining room table. All eyes were on him, and no one spoke.

"Everyone remembers Kilala, correct?" Everyone nodded, and the demi-god continued. "When we put her in jail almost four years ago, she was sentenced to remain there for life." He took a breath to say something more, but was not given the chance by Madarao.

"Why're you telling us this?" she asked. "Unless she somehow managed to do the impossible and break out of Spirit World's jail, then she's of no concern to us anymore!" The demi-god sighed and averted his eyes.

"That's precisely why I'm here."

The dead silence that filled the room could have been cut with a knife. A trance seemed to have fallen over the group of people; they couldn't believe what they'd heard.

"NO!" The cry escaped from Ashton's lips as she pushed her chair back and rose to her full height. She slammed her hands down on the table and glared at Koenma, who was sitting across from her.

"Fix this mess!" she angrily demanded. "Spirit World is supposed to be a heavily guarded place. She shouldn't have been able to escape this easily. Your lax security will be one of the causes of what will come if she and Merihk team up again!" Kurama placed a hand gently on her shoulder, but Ashton ignored him for the moment.

"Ashton is right, Koenma," Madarao added, coming to stand beside her friend. "The last thing any of us needs is for Merihk and Kilala to team up again, especially since Ash and Kurama are trying to plan for their wedding. Couldn't you have at least picked better timing for a screw up like this to happen?"

"I'm sorry," the ruler told them. "I realize that this comes at a bad time, but I assure you that we at Spirit World are doing everything in our power to get this situation back under control."

* * *

**And that's that! Thank you for reading, and please make sure to review! Reading reviews makes me feel very, very loved, and they motivate me to continue on.**

**Much love,**

**Pandah**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter six is here! Thanks to everyone who has read so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter and what's to come!**

**This chapter brought me a bit of trouble while I was writing it. I couldn't get Jin's accent right, and I'm still not satisfied with it. It is what is it, though, and I did the best I could.  
**

**As usual, Yu Yu Hakusho rightfully belongs to the wonderful Yoshihiro Togashi, who, sadly, I am not. All I own are the ideas in my head and my OCs.

* * *

**

"Where be the li'l lassie?" Jin's thick accent filled the castle's foyer. Yusuke laughed and looked at the friends he had with him. The group consisted of Jin, Touya, Rinku, Chu, and Jin's girlfriend, Cora Fujioka.

"I assume you mean Ashton?" Yusuke asked. The red-haired wind demon nodded enthusiastically. He reached up and pulled down the tip of one pointy ear. He gave a lopsided grin, his pointy teeth showing.

"Aye, the li'l lassie!" he replied in his prominent Irish accent. Yusuke laughed again as he led the five out to the garden where the others were. They were all sitting under the grape arbor, laughing joyously as if they hadn't received upsetting news from Koenma earlier in the week. They all looked up as the group of six approached.

"Jin, Chu, Touya, Rinku, and Cora, this is Ashton Kumari, Kurama's fiancée," Yusuke introduced, pointing Ashton out to them. The princess smiled and gave a slight wave.

"It's nice to meet all of you," she politely told them. "Thank you so much for coming to stay here with us. It's a huge relief to have such accomplished fighters on my side." Yusuke had previously informed her of their fights during the Dark Tournament.

"'Ey, no worries, Sheila!" Chu good-naturedly assured her. The blue-haired Aussie grinned at Ashton. "Anythin' to help ou' an ol' mate!"

"What he means to say is that he's doing it in hopes of another rematch with Yusuke," Rinku corrected. His words earned him a hit on the head from Chu, who neither confirmed nor denied the accusation.

"Please ignore Chu and Rinku, Ms. Kumari," Touya told the princess. "They can act quite immature at times." With that, the ice master earned himself dark looks from his comrades, but he merely shrugged them off.

"There's no need for formalities, Touya," Ashton told him. She smiled again. "Thank you for the warning, also, but I find their childish banter to be quite pleasant." She looked up at Jin when the wind demon walked over to where she was sitting. He didn't speak, but he studied her closely.

"Lucky eyes ya got," he commented. "Jus' like Urameshi."

**| |¯`·.¸_¸.+´¯`¤.¸¸.·´¯`×**

"For a princess, you sure don't act like one, Ashton," Cora commented. It was early in the evening, and the two were sitting in the West Tower together. Ashton had given Cora a tour of the castle and had ended there. The princess smiled and looked over at the blue-haired koorime.

"Is that a good thing?" she asked. Cora nodded her response. She gently played with the hem of her white battle kimono that stopped below her knees. Tiny blue snowflakes adorned the silk.

"I think it is," she replied. "To be honest, when Jin told me that Yusuke wanted us to come here to protect Winterhaven's princess, I thought you were going to be stuck up, spoiled, and all that stuff that's usually associated with royalty. I'm happy to find that I was wrong." Ashton laughed, but did not immediately say anything. She stared out of the French doors, watching as it steadily grew darker outdoors.

"You really like Jin, don't you?" Cora turned her head to look at Ashton, and a smile lit up her face. She happily nodded.

"I love Jin!" she said with a giggle. She blushed lightly. "He's amazing. So strong, funny, sweet… He's got a heart of pure gold, and I feel like the luckiest girl when I see him every day."

"I know exactly how you feel, Cora!" Ashton couldn't help but laugh. She nodded and curled up in her armchair by the fireplace. She yawned and closed her eyes for a minute. "You pretty much just summed up Kurama as well. We both really are lucky to have him and Jin."

**| |¯`·.¸_¸.+´¯`¤.¸¸.·´¯`×**

The weeks passed by slowly for Ashton. She was on pins and needles, expecting each day that Merihk or Kilala would show up for her. She didn't feel safe, even in the castle with all of her friends around her. On most nights, she did not sleep, and when she did, she was plagued by nightmares.

It pained Kurama to see her like that.

The two were sitting on a loveseat in the castle's library. They had found a book of old pictures of Winterhaven's past rulers, and they'd been looking through it for most of the morning. Kurama's arms were around Ashton, and her head was lying on his shoulder as she flipped through the pages. The captions beneath the pictures were written in Amatrez, the language that had been spoken in Winterhaven centuries before. It had nearly died out. The only living demons who still spoke it were Ashton, Delacora, and the town's elders.

"This picture is of my Pawpaw and Nana, King Nolan and Queen Delia," she told Kurama, translating the script beneath the picture. She smiled sadly as she gazed at the picture.

"I never knew them," she added. She paused a moment to cover her mouth and yawn. "Like every other king and queen to date, the two died long before their time should have been up." Kurama frowned and kissed the top of Ashton's head.

"That won't happen to us," he told her. He nodded a couple of times. "We'll grow old together in this castle. We'll live to see our many-greats-grandchildren rule Winterhaven. Won't that be wonderful, Ash?" When she didn't say anything, he looked down at her. A tiny smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he realized that she'd fallen asleep in his arms. Careful to not disturb her, he sat the picture album aside and repositioned them on the loveseat so that they'd be more comfortable during their nap.

**| |¯`·.¸_¸.+´¯`¤.¸¸.·´¯`×**

"Hey, Yukina!" Madarao called, walking out into the garden. It was late in the afternoon, and the koorime was playing in the snow with Tefy. She looked up when she heard her name.

"Have you seen Ashton?" the neko asked. "I have something I've been meaning to ask her." Yukina thought for a long moment before she said anything.

"She and Kurama were in the library this morning," she replied. "I haven't seen them since then, but you can check there, if you'd like." Madarao thanked Yukina and hurried back inside. She took the stair steps two at a time as she made her way up to the second floor.

"Where's the fire, Madarao?" Cora asked as she walked out of her room on the left side of the second floor's landing. Madarao stopped and looked over at Cora. She smiled sheepishly.

"There isn't one," she told Cora. "I'm headed to the library to see if Ashton's there." The blue-haired girl nodded, and the two walked together down the hallway to where the library's oaken doors were. Madarao pushed one opened and stepped inside.

"Hey, Ash?" she called as she walked through a few rows of books. She found her friend and Kurama in the back of the room, lying asleep together on the loveseat.

"They are so cute!" Cora whispered, coming to stand beside Madarao. The neko nodded in agreement, and the two left, choosing not to wake the happy couple.

* * *

**And that's that! Thank you for reading, and please make sure to review! Reading reviews makes me feel very, very loved, and they motivate me to continue on.**

**This chapter was pretty boring, I know, and served mostly as a filler chapter (only because I hit writer's block...), but I promise that chapter seven will be better!  
**

**Much love,**

**Pandah**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven is here! Thanks to everyone who has read so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter and what's to come!**

**As usual, Yu Yu Hakusho rightfully belongs to the wonderful Yoshihiro Togashi, who, sadly, I am not. All I own are the ideas in my head and my OCs.**

* * *

With the New Year came the knowledge that Ashton and Kurama's wedding was one month closer. It was all the princess was able to think about, even as the group made plans to celebrate and ring in the New Year that night.

"Ashton, are you even paying attention?" The kitsune jolted slightly when she heard her name. She blinked several times and looked at Yusuke, the one who'd addressed her.

"I'm sorry," she sheepishly apologized. "My mind's been wandering so much lately… What were you saying?" Seeming slightly annoyed at having to repeat what he'd said, Yusuke told her that they were all planning on hiking up to one of the cliffs on Silverloch Mountain to watch the fireworks that they were going to have set off.

"That sounds like a good idea," she replied with a slight nod of her head. "The cliffs will be a good place for us to watch the fireworks."

**| |¯`·.¸_¸.+´¯`¤.¸¸.·´¯`×**

Late in the afternoon, Ashton was out on her balcony. She was leaning against the railing, looking out on the town of Winterhaven. Few people were out and about that day; most were inside preparing for their celebrations that night.

Ashton was just about to return inside when movements on the northern outskirts of the town caught her eyes. They were wearing long grey coats, the bottoms, sleeves, and hoods lined with fur. Though the hoods were pulled up, Ashton could still make out their faces. Her eyes widened, and she staggered backwards away from the railing.

"Oh… Oh kami," the princess whispered as she ran back inside. It didn't take her long to find her friends; they were all in the dining room sitting around the table and talking to Koenma. The room fell silent when she burst into the room, nearly in tears.

"Ash, what's wrong?" Kurama was on his feet before the doors had even closed behind Ashton. He walked over to her and gently gripped her hands. She hugged him tightly and cried into his shoulder.

"Merihk and Kilala!" she sobbed. "They're on the northern outskirts of town!"

**| |¯`·.¸_¸.+´¯`¤.¸¸.·´¯`×**

The group of eleven made their way out of the castle. Yukina, Botan, and Koenma had been instructed to stay inside with Tefy since neither of them were fighters of any sort. They had been told to take the girl into the basement to show her the maze of tunnels underneath the castle to keep her busy and occupied for some time.

The eleven fighters stood silently in the fields east of the castle. A brisk southerly wind whipped their hair, but none of them seemed to mind. Their eyes were set ahead, waiting to see Kilala and Merihk. It did not take them long to.

"My, my, we even have a group here to welcome us, Kilala." Three yards separated Merihk and Kilala from Ashton and her friends. Merihk's voice sent shivers down Ashton's spine. Kurama tightened his grip on his fiancée's hand.

"Yes…" Kilala drew the word out, hissing the s and ending with a slight purr. She lowered her hood and studied the group; her eyes lingered on Ashton for a moment before she moved on.

"It's too bad that we will be the last people that they ever get to see," the neko added. As she spoke, she drew her weapon, a sword whose guard was styled to resemble a butterfly, its wings inlaid with an orange-colored material and turquoise. Its grip was of a gray metal with pentagrams engraved on it. Merihk, likewise, drew his sword. The sword's guard was styled to resemble a mouth with jade pieces for teeth, the blade extending from it like a tongue. Its pommel bore a single onyx.

Yusuke laughed cockily.

"You two will never be able to defeat us on your own!" he arrogantly told them. A devilish twinkle appeared in Merihk's eyes.

"Who said we were alone?" The man brought one hand up, and from the snow around them appeared a small army of snow demons. Yusuke took a slight step back in surprise. He clenched his teeth for a moment.

"You still won't beat us!" the boy replied.

**| |¯`·.¸_¸.+´¯`¤.¸¸.·´¯`×**

The fight that ensued was not one that would soon be forgotten. Ashton had insisted that Kilala be left for her to deal with; the two were off to the side fighting their differences out. Kurama and Yusuke were dealing with Merihk, and though the army of snow demons was not large, it took the other eight members of the group to tackle them and take them down.

Neither group seemed to be making any real progress as the fight wore on. Kilala had been killed by Ashton, but the princess was struggling to hold her own now that she was surrounded by demons on all sides. She was quickly growing tired, as were the others.

The blast seemed to come from nowhere. One moment, Ashton was fighting against one of the fiercer snow demons. The next, her body had been thrown into the air by the large, bright green ball of energy that had been shot her way. Yusuke's spirit gun attack, which he'd used early to no avail, had been copied by Merihk and used against them. A pained scream tore from Ashton's throat.

"Ashton!" Kurama shouted as his fiancée's limp body began to fall back to the ground. He abandoned the fight with Merihk in favor of going to catch her. He dropped his whip, and it landed on the ground as a blood red rose. The redhead ran to where Ashton was falling to; he caught the princess in his arms and knelt down, cradling her gently. Her breathing was heavy, and she looked to be in great pain. She opened her eyes and looked up at Kurama. She brought one hand up and gently stroked her lover's tear-stained cheek.

"I love you, Kurama," she whispered. She coughed several times, and blood trickled down her cheek from the corner of her mouth. "Take care of everything for me, my love." Kurama bit his bottom lip hard. He gripped Ashton's hand and kissed the back of it.

"Don't speak," he told her. "Everything's going to be okay. You're not going to die. I won't let that happen." Ashton smiled sadly.

"I love you," she repeated. Her eyes slipped shut and her head fell to the side as her body went limp once more. For what seems like ages, Kurama wept the passing of his fiancée even as the sounds of the battle around them filled the air.

"You will pay for this, Merihk!" the redhead cried out. He lightly laid his princess' body on the ground and rose. He turned and began to walk to where Merihk was still fighting with Yusuke. He passed Kilala's body on the way, and he glanced at her with disdain as he passed.

As Kurama slowly walked, parts of him changed to mirror his demon form. His hair grew longer and faded to silver, and his eyes flashed between colors before finally settling on liquid gold. His body changed to that of Youko. His outfit, similar to the one he'd worn during the Dark Tournament, changed to Youko's usual attire. Behind him swished his silver tail and his ears twitched atop his head. When he spoke, his voice had changed as well, becoming deeper than Kurama's voice.

"You bastard," the fox whispered. He glared at Merihk through slitted eyes. His arms were crossed, and smoke began to pour from his opened palms. Yusuke, recognizing the smoke screen from when it had been used against Elder Toguro years before, quickly stepped back as the smoke engulfed the two foxes.

Merihk made not a sound as he closed his eyes, listening for the crunch of snow that would make him aware of Youko's approach. Time crawled by before he heard what he was searching for. Turning to his left, an 'ah-hah' slipped past his lips as he thrust his sword forward. He could make out the form of Youko, and the smoke cleared slightly so that he could see that his sword had impaled the fox. Youko's eyes were wide as he coughed up blood. After a moment, he grinned.

"Weakling," he spat. "That didn't hurt at all." Merihk cried out in frustration as he pulled his sword from Youko's body. He began to slash at the fox, gashes bleeding profusely on Youko Kurama's body. His face showed no pain, though, nor did he cry out. This only served to anger Merihk even more.

"What's going on in there?" Madarao asked as cries filled the air. The snow demons had all been defeated. Everyone was now standing with Yusuke and Hiei, watching the smoke that hung in the air.

"I have a pretty good feeling," Yusuke replied, but he didn't say anything more.

It took time, but the smoke slowly began to clear. The group was soon able to make out two figures. One was that of Youko Kurama. He walked past his friends to where he's left Ashton's body. Kneeling down, he took her into his arms again and began to weep. His friends watched sadly for several moments before returning their attention to the smoke again. The cries from within could still be heard.

"It's that tree thing!" Kuwabara exclaimed when the smoke had fully disappeared. He was referring to the Sinning Tree, which now had Merihk wrapped up in it. The demon struggled as the hallucinations drove him crazy. The tree's tendrils tightened, restraining Merihk further.

"He must have planted the seed when we were fighting that guy earlier," Yusuke commented. Shrugging, he turned and walked over to Kurama, who had changed from his demon to human form again. He placed on hand on the fox's shoulder, but it didn't faze the man.

"Kurama, she's gone," Yusuke said as gently as he could manage. "There's nothing any of us can do for her. She wouldn't want you to be upset like this." Finally registering that he was being addressed, Kurama looked up. Immeasurable pain could be seen in his emerald eyes.

"How would you feel if you were in my shoes and Keiko had just lost her life because you weren't there to protect her like you'd promised her you would?" Kurama asked. Yusuke froze. He couldn't answer the question, unable to fathom the amount of grief that he –or in this case, Kurama– would face.

* * *

**This chapter has so far been my least favorite to write, but I knew what I had to do to reach where I want to take this story. So don't hate me for what I did, okay?**

**Thank you for reading, and please make sure to review! Reading reviews makes me feel very, very loved, and they motivate me to continue on.**

**Much love,**

**Pandah**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter eight is here! Thanks to everyone who has read so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter and what's to come!**

**As usual, Yu Yu Hakusho rightfully belongs to the wonderful Yoshihiro Togashi, who, sadly, I am not. All I own are the ideas in my head and my OCs.

* * *

**

"Prince Koenma, she's here," spoke Ayame as she materialized into Koenma's office. The demi-god looked up from the paperwork he was filling out, and he nodded twice. He looked over at Kurama, who, for the longest time, had been silently standing against on wall.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked. The redhead nodded, and Koenma motioned for Ayame to open the office doors. The shimmery form of Ashton was standing in the doorway, and she walked into the office once the door was fully opened. She could not bring herself to look at him, but she felt Kurama's gaze on her.

"You requested my presence, Koenma, sir?" Ashton asked, stopping before Koenma's desk. Her hands were clasped in front of her. The blue silk gown that she was wearing made her seem like an angel. It almost hurt Kurama to look at his fiancée's ghost.

"Not exactly," the ruler replied. He motioned to where Kurama was. "He wanted to see you. I'll leave you two alone for a little while so that you can talk." Koenma rose from his desk, and he and Ayame exited the room. Ashton turned to look at Kurama, who slowly walked over to her. He brought his hand up as if to stroke his fiancée's cheek, but his hand passed right through her. Ashton smiled sadly.

"Hi, Kurama," she softly said. "I'm happy to be able to see you again." She had only been dead for about three days, but every minute away from the one she loved nearly killed her. She felt like she'd been dead for an eternity.

"Koenma says that he can bring you back to life, if you want," Kurama told her. Ashton smiled, but it didn't last for long.

"That's wonderful," she replied. "But… I'm not sure I want to be brought back. My family's all here. I've seen them, Kurama." The fox looked crestfallen.

"Ash…" The princess brought a hand up and shook her head.

"Just let me think about all of this, Kurama." She placed a ghostly kiss upon his lips, and then she was gone from the room with a swish of her skirts.

**| |¯`·.¸_¸.+´¯`¤.¸¸.·´¯`×**

"Ismene, dear, you shouldn't stay here." The woman that spoke was tall, with long white hair falling down her back. She gently embraced Ashton, who looked as if she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.

"But Momma… It's been so long since I last saw you and Papa," the princess protested, hugging Queen Takei. King Adrian gently patted his daughter on the back.

"Baby girl, we've missed you so much," he assured her, "but this is not your time. You have your whole life ahead of you. Go back with Kurama, honey. He loves you, and he needs you." Ashton wiped her eyes and took a step back to look at Takei and Adrian. She slowly nodded.

"I was hoping you would say that," she admitted to them. "I miss Kurama so much." Takei smiled sympathetically.

"I know, sweetheart. We can tell," she replied. "Return to where you belong. One day, we'll all meet up again. But not now or anytime soon. You have too much left to accomplish in your life."

**| |¯`·.¸_¸.+´¯`¤.¸¸.·´¯`×**

"Have you reached a decision, Ashton?" Koenma asked when the princess returned to his office. She nodded as she looked around the room for a moment. She was disappointed to see that Kurama was not there still.

"I have. I wish to return to my life in the Demon World," she said. She paused for a moment. "But… I don't want to remember being dead, sir." Koenma nodded.

"So be it," spoke the demi-god as he brought his stamp down onto Ashton's judgment paper on the desk in front of him.

**| |¯`·.¸_¸.+´¯`¤.¸¸.·´¯`×**

The first thing that Ashton knew as she came to her senses was that her joints were stiff, like she'd been asleep in the same position for days. The second was that she had a splitting headache.

"Oh kami," she mumbled. She brought one hand up and massaged her temples. She opened her eyes when a voice reached her ears.

"Take this, Ash." She sat up and took the pills and glass that Kurama handed her. Popping the pills into her mouth, she took a sip of water and swallowed. She sat the glass aside.

"Kilala and Merihk…?" she trailed off and looked at her fiancé. He smiled slightly.

"Kilala's dead. Merihk is still trapped in my Sinning Tree out in the field. He will remain there forever, dead or alive, as a marking of what went down that day." Tears filled Ashton's eyes, and she wrapped her arms around Kurama's neck.

"Thank goodness!" she exclaimed. She felt like crying, but she couldn't bring herself to. "Oh, Kurama… Now we won't have to worry about them ever again. We can live the peaceful, happy life we've talked about in the past." The fox smiled and kissed the top of Ashton's head. He was thankful that she'd chosen to come back to life, and he was even happier that she didn't remember her time in death.

"That's right, Ash," he whispered in her ear. "After what we've been through, recently, we deserve peace."

**| |¯`·.¸_¸.+´¯`¤.¸¸.·´¯`×**

With Kilala and Merihk out of the picture, the months seemed to pass by quicker. Almost before Ashton knew it, the week of her wedding day was upon her. She and Kurama were getting married in the castle on that Saturday. Ashton had but three days to wait.

"Pretty soon, you'll be known throughout the Demon World as King Kurama," the princess softly commented. She and Kurama were sitting on the loveseat in the library, wrapped in each others arms. Ashton softly giggled as she played with Kurama's fingers. The fox smiled.

"No one will think about me," he told her. "They'll be too busy dreaming about the fair and beautiful Queen Ashton." He kissed the tip of her nose, and Ashton blushed.

"You're silly, Kurama," she said. She giggled once more and curled up against him. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and closed her eyes.

"But that's part of why I love you, though," she happily added. "You're perfect, Kurama. I wouldn't change anything about you, even if I had the opportunity to do so."

"I feel the same about you, my princess." Kurama gently stroked her hair. "We're happy with each other as we are, and that's all that will ever matter."

* * *

**This chapter was a little shorter than I intended it to be, and I apologize for that. I cut it off, though, because I didn't want to start with what I planned next and have it be too long...**

**Thank you for reading, and please make sure to review! Reading reviews makes me feel very, very loved, and they motivate me to continue on.**

**Much love,**

**Pandah**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter nine is here! Thanks to everyone who has read so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter and what's to come!**

**As usual, Yu Yu Hakusho rightfully belongs to the wonderful Yoshihiro Togashi, who, sadly, I am not. All I own are the ideas in my head and my OCs.

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**

In the castle, a clock chimed eighteen times. Six o'clock in the evening. Ashton had but an hour and a half to remain an unmarried woman.

For weeks when they'd been planning their wedding, Ashton and Kurama had debated over when in the day to have their wedding. They hadn't been able to decide on a time. Yusuke, finally getting frustrated over their indecision, had one day yelled at them to have it in the evening. He'd stormed out of the castle afterwards. Ashton and Kurama had chosen to go with his idea, and they set the wedding to begin at seven thirty in the evening.

Their closest friends, Kurama's family, who had been informed of the existence of demons shortly after Ashton and Kurama had announced their engagement, and friends of the Kumari family would be attending. Delacora, her husband, King Chesnier, and their two children, twin princesses Elisabeth and Ellie, were there for the wedding, and everyone in the small town of Winterhaven was invited to the ceremony. They were expecting that at least two hundred people would show up.

By order of Madarao, Botan, Keiko, and Yukina, Ashton had not seen Kurama since the night before. She had been confined to her room the whole day. She had already gotten dressed and ready for the ceremony. All she had left to do was wait for Madarao to come in to fix her hair.

Ashton stood before her full length mirror and examined her reflection. Her snow white gown was strapless. The satin bodice was accented with intricate, metallic beaded embroidery. It hugged her small form and laced up in the back. The full tulle ball gown skirt featured the same embroidery that adorned the bodice. The chapel train gently flared out as she walked. Hidden beneath her dress, she wore heels of solid white, and garters made of light blue satin. Her jewelry was made of blue crystals and diamonds arranged in a floral pattern. She had a tiara to match it.

"You look gorgeous, Ash!" Madarao happily commented as she walked into the room. She shut the door behind her and crossed the room to where her friend was. She smiled as she examined Ashton.

"Gorgeous," she repeated. She instructed her friend to sit down, and then she began work on Ashton's hair. She curled it first and then pinned it up atop Ashton's head, leaving just a few curls down to frame Ashton's face. When she was finished, she secured the tulle veil and sat the tiara in its place. She picked up a small hand mirror and held it in front of Ashton.

"All eyes are going to be on you," Madarao assured her. "I doubt Kurama will even be able to think once he sees you, Ash! We might even have to postpone the wedding until he can function once more!" A tiny smile lit up Ashton's face as she gently fingered the satin ribbon that edged her veil.

"I so hope that we don't have to reschedule," she quietly said, a laugh escaping her lips. "But I do hope that today will turn out better than we've planned."

**| |¯`·.¸_¸.+´¯`¤.¸¸.·´¯`×**

A bouquet of white roses with a single blue rose in the center was held in Ashton's hand. She brought the flowers up to her face and inhaled deeply for the fifth time in the last few minutes. She had just a few minutes left before the ceremony was due to begin, and she was beginning to feel quite nervous. She'd found that the roses' scent helped calm her down.

"Don't worry, Ismene. You'll be fine. Just keep focused on Kurama. Nothing else matters right now," Chesnier whispered to her. Being that Ashton's father was dead, her brother-in-law had graciously offered to walk her down the aisle that day. Ashton looked up at him and smiled.

"You're right," she softly replied. "Thank you, Chesnier."

The doors to the castle's second ballroom soon opened. It had been transformed from a dance room to one fitting of the wedding ceremony. Vases of flowers covered every available surface. Chairs had been set out for the guests, and they were all full. White rose petals littered the floor, courtesy of Tefy, the flower girl. The room was filled with the scent of flowers.

All eyes were on Ashton as she and Chesnier stepped into the room. She paid the guests little attention, though; she was focused on the smiling redhead who was waiting for her at the altar. To Ashton, time seemed to crawl by. She didn't think she'd ever make it to her Kurama. She was relieved when Chesnier placed her hand in Kurama's. He gave it a gentle squeeze as she stood beside him.

Ashton paid little attention to what the priest was saying during the ceremony. She spoke only when necessary, and then her thoughts would drift again. She tuned back in towards the end of the ceremony, when the priest called forth the ring bearer, Kurama's stepbrother, Suichi. They'd opted to be less traditional in this part of the ceremony, choosing not to say anything as they each placed the wedding rings on the other's hand. The priest then prayed over the two, asking that the gods above would bless the couple and lead them into long, happy lives together. After his prayer, he said,

"By the power vested in my, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

A smile lit up Kurama's face as he lifted the veil that Ashton was wearing. The two lovingly gazed at each other for a moment before Kurama captured his bride's lips with his own. Applause filled the room, but the two were oblivious to it.

**| |¯`·.¸_¸.+´¯`¤.¸¸.·´¯`×**

The bride and groom's dance was first at the reception. As with their first dance as an engaged couple, all eyes were on Ashton and Kurama. The two looked happy, lost in their own world as they waltzed around the ballroom. Botan sniffled as she watched the newlywed couple.

"They are so cute together!" the grim reaper said. She smiled and wiped her eyes. Beside her, Madarao nodded.

"I always knew they were going to end up together. I'm happy that those two old souls found each other in this world."

**| |¯`·.¸_¸.+´¯`¤.¸¸.·´¯`×**

Ashton's garter had been removed, and she and Kurama were ready to toss it and the bouquet. They stood at the top of ballroom's staircase, their back to the guests. Ashton tossed her bouquet first. After Kurama had released the garter, they turned to see who had caught the items.

"Cora and Jin," Ashton murmured as the koorime and wind demon embraced and the guests applauded the two. "They're good for each other." Kurama looked at his bride and smiled.

"Not as good together as we are, though," he replied before kissing her again.

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**It saddens me to say it, but this is probably the next to last chapter of this story. I have a couple of ideas for another story once this one is finished, so be sure to keep an eye out for it in the near future! **

**Thank you for reading, and please make sure to review! Reading reviews makes me feel very, very loved, and they motivate me to continue on.**

**Much love,**

**Pandah**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter ten is here!Well, really, it's more of an epilogue than an actual chapter, but whatever. Thanks to everyone who has read so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter and what's to come!**

**As usual, Yu Yu Hakusho rightfully belongs to the wonderful Yoshihiro Togashi, who, sadly, I am not. All I own are the ideas in my head and my OCs.

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**

The first years of Kurama and Ashton's marriage went by quicker than the two had expected it would. They'd made sure to visit the Human World often so that they could see Kurama's family and their friends. One such visit was taking place on this day. It was a cool spring morning about three weeks before Ashton and Kurama's first anniversary.

"Oh, Ash! You look amazing!" Madarao happily exclaimed when the two entered Genkai's temple. Their bags were taken from Kurama by Yukina, who went to take them to their room. Madarao stepped forward and hugged her friend gently.

"Thank you," Ashton replied. She lightly rested a hand on her stomach; she and Kurama were expecting a baby boy in less than two months. They were planning on naming him Adrian after Ashton's late father.

"You guys sure have been busy," Yusuke commented with a snicker. He earned himself a hit upside the head from Ashton.

"We're married," the queen pointed out. "What we choose to do in our time together is not your concern, nor is it any of your business, Yusuke.

"Besides," she went on to add, a smirk playing on her lips, "I'm sure that you're just jealous because you haven't made it this far with Keiko yet." Laughing at the glare from Yusuke and Keiko's flustered look, Ashton took Kurama's hand and went to go find the rest of their friends.

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"Adrian Minamino," Ashton softly said. She smiled as she gently stroked the baby's cheek. He was just over a week old. A half breed, he greatly took after his father. He had bright red hair, small and fuzzy fox ears, and a tail to match.

"He's adorable," Kurama commented. He smiled and kissed his wife's cheek. Ashton laughed softly.

"He looks so much like you, Kurama," she told him. The father took the child into his arms, gently rocking the baby boy.

"Maybe, but he'll grow up to be perfect just like his mommy," the redhead replied. Ashton blushed and laid her head on his shoulder.

"You're such a sweet talker, Kurama," she quietly said. "I love you so much."

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**It saddens me to say it, but this is the last chapter of this story. I'm working on another story right now, so keep your eyes open for it! I'll let you know when it's up.  
**

**Thank you for reading, and please make sure to review! Reading reviews makes me feel very, very loved, and they motivate me to continue on.**

**Much love,**

**Pandah**


	11. Author's Note

**I would like to again thank anyone and everyone who took the time to read this story! It has meant a lot to me, and I'm glad that I was motivated to finish this one.**

**I have begun another Yu Yu Hakusho story, one titled Unbalanced Kisses. The first chapter is up, so you guys can all go read it, if you'd like!**

**Much Love,**

**Pandah**


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